Tag: spironolactone

What’s happening: Half of all women will suffer from acne at some point in their post-teen years, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. Acne is most often triggered by hormonal fluctuations during puberty (as you remember) as well as during pregnancy, perimenopause, menopause and even when you change birth control methods. The five reasons you STILL have acne.

Five Reasons You STILL Have Acne

What it looks like: Cyst-looking bumps that hurt like the dickens and last forever. While younger acne takes over the T-zone, adult pimples usually appear on the chin and neck and along the jawline. They’ll be at their worst just before you get your period.

What to try: As a quick fix, your dermatologist may inject the site with inflammation-calming cortisone. To prevent these types of breakouts in the future, s/he may talk to you about spironolactone, an oral medication that blocks the androgen hormones often responsible for adult acne.

You’re Searching for the Elixir of Youth

What’s happening: There are countless products to prevent and treat the signs of aging, but sampling several of them at once may inadvertently lead to pimples. In addition, many antiaging products have heavy-duty moisturizers to help with age-related dryness, and those can clog pores if you have acne-prone skin.

What it looks like: You’re not just spotty but also uncharacteristically shiny.

What to try: If you have acne-prone skin, look for products that are “oil-free” or “non-comedogenic” and try one at a time. She also recommends keeping an eye out for these ingredients, which are more likely to aggravate acne: lanolin, squalene, alcohols (isopropyl myristate), oils (mineral oil, coconut butter, oil) and sodium lauryl sulfate.

What’s happening: The good news: You don’t have acne! The bad news: You may have perioral dermatitis, a skin condition that’s common among middle-age women and is often mistaken for acne. Experts don’t really know what causes it, she adds, but it’s a variant of rosacea and has been linked to the prolonged use of topical steroid creams and inhaled prescription steroid sprays, overuse of some heavy face creams, skin irritants and (weirdly) fluorinated toothpaste.

What it looks like: A red, bumpy rash around the mouth and lower face. It can also be scaly or irritated-looking.

What to try: Dermatologists usually treat this condition with a course of antibiotics or anti-inflammatories.

You’re Overwhelmed by Adult Responsibilities

What’s happening: Stress and exhaustion cause your cortisol levels to spike, and this can result in an increase in testosterone as well as pimply skin, Edible “stress relievers” you’re getting from the vending machine (i.e., cans of soda, bags of M&Ms) aren’t helping, as foods like these, with a high glycemic index, can aggravate acne.

What it looks like: These are usually the same pimples you remember from your youth: red, white and annoying all over (they often appear in clusters).

What to try: Topical ointments with benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid, the gold standards for treating teen acne, can be too harsh for adult skin. They often cause dryness, which can be a problem for women who are dealing with an age-related lack of moisture. Look for acne products with a lower concentration of pimple-busting active ingredients. (And try to get to bed earlier.)

What’s Touching Your Face.

You Recently Renovated Your Powder Room

What’s happening: You finally have your own private sink and vanity…which means you’re paying more attention to your skin than ever before.Adult patients tend to spend more time in front of the magnifying mirror and are more likely to deal with breakouts by picking obsessively or slathering on multiple treatments.

What it looks like: Inflamed, red, scabby, positively volcanic. And because cell turnover slows with age,the picked pimples will take even longer to heal and are more likely to leave scars in woman of a certain age.

Moderate Acne Treatment Options

Larry Jaeger, founder and owner of Advanced Dermatology Associates in New York treats patients suffering from all forms of acne: Moderate Acne Treatment.

Moderate Acne

Moderate acne is that sort of breakout-middle-ground – your acne isn’t mild but you wouldn’t consider it severe either.

Dr. Larry Jaeger relates that if your blemishes are typically inflamed, or if you have persistent pimples and blackheads that stubbornly hang around despite using over-the-counter acne products, you might have moderate acne.

Don’t think that you can’t get your skin under control; you can.
You might just need a different approach (and a different treatment). And there are plenty of treatment options that are really effective.

Moderate Acne – Treatments Available:

Over-the-Counter Treatments for Moderate Acne

Because moderate acne breakouts are more stubborn than mild acne, it typically doesn’t improve with over-the-counter medications. But there is one exception:

Benzoyl peroxide
According to Dermatologist Larry Jaeger, Benzoyl peroxide is hands-down the most effective OTC acne treatment there is (prescription benzoyl peroxide treatments are also available.) It helps to reduce blackheads and pore blockages, but it really shines as an inflamed breakout treatment.

If you’re breaking out, you may want to try an OTC benzoyl peroxide product first. Give it 10-12 weeks to work. But if you’re not happy with the results after several weeks, it’s time to move on to something stronger.

Topical Prescription Medications for Moderate Acne

With so many good prescription acne treatments available, it doesn’t make sense to stick with OTC products for just so-so results. You’ll be a lot happier with the results of a prescription medication, and your physician will probably start you off with a topical treatment first.

Topical retinoids – Treating Moderate Acne

Topical retinoids are some of the most commonly used topical acne treatments today.

They can be used by both teens and adults.

Topical retinoids are also prescribed as anti-aging treatments, so they pull double duty for adults with acne. Topical retinoids work by speeding up cell turnover and unclogging pores, so long-term they work to reduce breakouts. They can also help make pores look smaller.

Topical antibiotics – Treating Moderate Acne

These are only prescribed for inflammatory breakouts, as they won’t do much if anything for non-inflammatory blemishes. Topical antibiotics work by reducing the amount of acne-causing bacteria (bacteria called propioni acnes) found on the skin.

To get the best results, topical antibiotics should be prescribed along with another acne medication. There is some worry that bacteria are becoming more resistant to antibiotics, and that they are becoming less effective than they used to be.

Combination medications – Treating Moderate Acne

Combination medications have two acne-fighting ingredients in one medication. Dermatologists have long prescribed several topical acne medications to be used at once, because treating acne this way is much more effective.

Combo treatments basically take this idea and make it much more convenient. Just one quick application and you’re done.

Most combinations medications are a marriage of a topical antibiotic and a topical retinoid or benzoyl peroxide.

Oral Medications for Moderate Acne

If topical medications aren’t giving you the results you want, oral medications can be the next step in your treatment. They might even be the first step, depending on your situation.

It doesn’t have to be an either/or prospect, anyway. Your dermatologist might prescribe both an oral and topical medication. Again, it just depends on your situation and your skin.

Oral antibiotics for Moderate Acne

Oral antibiotics work like topical antibiotics – they reduce the amount of bacteria that contribute to acne breakouts.

Oral antibiotics are usually prescribed for moderate acne breakouts that are inflamed. They just aren’t all that effective for comedonal acne.

Again, bacterial resistance is a growing problem with antibiotic over-use, so it’s important that you take them exactly as directed.

Oral contraceptives (birth control pills) for Moderate Acne

Obviously, these aren’t an option for the guys. But birth control pills are the go-to treatment for adult women who suffer from those “hormonal” breakouts every month. Teen girls can also get relief from acne by going on birth control pills.

So, how do birth control pills help clear up acne?

They stabilize hormonal fluctuations. Acne development is closely linked to androgen hormones. Keep those hormones under control, and acne often clears up.

Larry Jaeger advises that you’ll most likely need a topical acne treatment too when using birth control pills to control acne.

Spironolactone
Another hormone regulator is spironolactone. This treatment is only appropriate for adult women with acne.

Spironolactone is not specifically an acne treatment, as it’s used to treat problems such as high blood pressure and fluid retention. But for many women it’s really effective in keeping the skin clear. To be effective, though, it needs to be used long-term.

Need Help Treating Your Moderate Acne?

Call a Dermatologist.
Sometimes you can clear up moderate acne on your own with OTC products. But more than likely you’ll need help from a dermatologist to get breakouts under control.

Dr. Larry Jaeger is a well known and respected board certified dermatologist and dermatological surgeon who is the medical director of Advanced Dermatology Associates of New York. Dr Larry Jaeger specializes in all aspect of medical, cosmetic and surgical dermatology, including Moderate Acne Treatment.